§ 59. Sir Richard Pilkingtonasked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that by the end of this year the completion of motorways will have averaged not more than 60 miles a year since the first length was opened to traffic, if he will indicate in detail the steps he proposes to take to complete 1,000 miles by the early 1970's.
§ Mr. MarplesThe funds devoted to the road programme and to motorways in it have been substantially increased each year. We shall complete a further 62½ miles of M.6 and the remaining 13 miles of the Medway motorway this year. Within my current 5-year programme, which gives priority to work on the motorways included in my five major projects, construction is under way on 149W the Severn Bridge, Chiswick-Langley, and Newport bypass sections of M.4 on the River Trent Structures and Crick-Mark-field section of M.1, on the Preston-Lancaster section ofM.6, and on the Darlington and Port Talbot bypasses. Work is also expected to start shortly on the Midland Link motorway, on further sections of M.4 in Wales and Gloucestershire, on the extensions of M.1 northwards and into London, and on a further length of M.5. Other schemes are included in the current 5-year plan and projected for the years to follow. It is too early to give details as these will largely depend on progress with the statutory processes and the exact funds provided by Parliament each year.